Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 25, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 25, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking critical developments in education, public discourse, and policy response
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  Speaker 1: to antisemitism worldwide. We begin with a significant lawsuit targeting
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  Speaker 1: an entire state's public school system. In California, a lawsuit
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  Speaker 1: accusing the state's public school system of allowing widespread antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: against Jewish students is heading toward a December court showdown.
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  Speaker 1: The suit, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for
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  Speaker 1: Human Rights Under Law and Stand With Us, names California's
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  Speaker 1: Board of Education, Department of Education, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting from The Washington Times, this marks the
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  Speaker 1: first time an entire state public education system has been
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  Speaker 1: sued nationwide over alleged systemic antisemitism. California's Attorney General's Office
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  Speaker 1: has asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing a
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  Speaker 1: new state law, Assembly Bill 715 already provides the protections
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  Speaker 1: plaintiffs seek. The complaint details specific alleged incidents, including a
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  Speaker 1: teacher barring a student from a talent show over an
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  Speaker 1: Israeli flag, a third grader being called a racist by
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  Speaker 1: a teacher, and a student being disciplined for wearing a
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  Speaker 1: star of David Necklace and Israel-related shirts. Other allegations, according
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  Speaker 1: to MyNewsLA.com and Jay the Jewish News of Northern California,
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  Speaker 1: include a teacher's alleged antisemitic celebration of the October 7th
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  Speaker 1: massacre and another teacher displaying artwork depicting a fist punching
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  Speaker 1: through a Star of David. The lawsuit also claims teachers
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  Speaker 1: led students in off-campus walkouts with antisemitic chants and used
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  Speaker 1: class time to teach antisemitic and anti-Israel propaganda, citing a
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  Speaker 1: curriculum that included a children's book stating, I is for Intifada.
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  Speaker 1: On hate crimes and physical violence, Police in London are
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  Speaker 1: searching for a man photographed wearing a shirt displaying an
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  Speaker 1: explicit antisemitic chant. The incident was reported by the Campaign
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  Speaker 1: Against Antisemitism, or CAA. According to the CAA, the shirt
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  Speaker 1: bore the text Kaibar Kaibar Ya Yahad, an Arabic chant
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  Speaker 1: associated with a 7th century Islamic battle in which Jewish
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  Speaker 1: tribes were defeated and massacred. Muslim extremists have reportedly used
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  Speaker 1: this chant to incite violence against Jews worldwide. The London
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  Speaker 1: Metropolitan Police reported that officers received details of the incident and,
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  Speaker 1: after consulting experts on its meaning and historical context, are
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  Speaker 1: treating it as a suspected racially aggravated public order offence. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: in Mississippi, legal proceedings are underway for Steven Spencer Pittman,
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  Speaker 1: accused of setting fire to the Beit Israel Congregation Synagogue
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  Speaker 1: earlier this year. Pittman will undergo a psychiatric examination, as
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  Speaker 1: requested by his attorney, who cited concerns about his mental state.
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  Speaker 1: These cases highlight the range of antisemitic threats, from public
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  Speaker 1: displays of hate speech to physical attacks. High-profile Democrats are
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  Speaker 1: publicly condemning a popular Twitch streamer for remarks perceived as antisemitic.
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  Speaker 1: Livestreamer Hassan Piker suggested that Jewish Americans, who are singularly
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  Speaker 1: invested in Israel, could eventually face consequences. Piker also reportedly
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  Speaker 1: referred to Israel as Jewish ISIS. Senators Elissa Slotkin of
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  Speaker 1: Michigan and Jackie Rosen of Nevada issued strong rebukes. Senator
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  Speaker 1: Slotkin stated, no community should face the threat of violence
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  Speaker 1: for their political views, period, adding that blaming victims only
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  Speaker 1: endangers them further, and noted the context of spiking political
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  Speaker 1: violence and antisemitism. Senator Rosen called Piker's remarks a new
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  Speaker 1: low and warned that blaming Jewish Americans for the violence
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  Speaker 1: they face provides an excuse for hate crimes. U.S. Representative
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  Speaker 1: Brad Schneider also condemned the remarks on social media, calling them, victim-blaming,
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  Speaker 1: and a tactic used by bigots and tyrants. House Democratic
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  Speaker 1: Leader Hakeem Jeffries also weighed in on rising hate, stating,
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  Speaker 1: there is zero justification for threats against the safety of
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  Speaker 1: our Jewish brothers and sisters. Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate nominee,
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  Speaker 1: Abdul El-Sayed, who has previously campaigned with Piker, distanced himself.
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  Speaker 1: stating that antisemitism is a scourge and denouncing rhetoric that
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  Speaker 1: puts the community at risk. Source material indicates Piker's views
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  Speaker 1: have been normalized in some discourse, particularly following interviews where
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  Speaker 1: he openly expressed extremist opinions. In Australia, renowned theater director
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  Speaker 1: Barry Kosky has decried the rise of antisemitism, linking the
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  Speaker 1: country's polarized discourse on the conflict in the Middle East
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  Speaker 1: to a dangerous escalation. Kosky, who is Jewish, told AAP
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  Speaker 1: that discussions have moved beyond legitimate criticism to questioning the
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  Speaker 1: very existence of Israel, which he described as leading to
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  Speaker 1: rampant 21st century antisemitism. He noted that ironically, Germany, where
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  Speaker 1: he works, feels safer for diaspora Jews than Australia currently does,
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  Speaker 1: amidst this climate. His commentary comes as Australia's Royal Commission
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  Speaker 1: into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is concluding its hearings. Speaking
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  Speaker 1: of Australia, the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion
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  Speaker 1: has begun its final day of public hearings. Established in
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  Speaker 1: response to the antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach, the
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  Speaker 1: inquiry has heard from 346 witnesses over 62 days and
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  Speaker 1: received more than 20,000 submissions. Commissioner Virginia Bell has sought
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  Speaker 1: a short extension for the delivery of her final report,
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  Speaker 1: which is now due December 18, 2026, to avoid distraction
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  Speaker 1: from the first anniversary of the attack. However, opposition figures
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  Speaker 1: like Angus Taylor have called for an extension to hear
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  Speaker 1: from more senior officials, suggesting the government is running out
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  Speaker 1: of time to be held accountable. A spokesperson for the
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  Speaker 1: Commission confirmed hearings would conclude with closing addresses this week. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abinader announced that the
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  Speaker 1: government has formally adhered to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,
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  Speaker 1: or IHRA, working definition of antisemitism. The announcement was made
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  Speaker 1: during the VI Latin American Forum against Antisemitism. President Abinader
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  Speaker 1: stated this adherence to the IHRA definition provides a framework
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  Speaker 1: to recognize and combat antisemitism while respecting freedom of expression.
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  Speaker 1: He also pledged approximately 50 million Dominican pesos for the
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  Speaker 1: construction of the new building for the Jewish Museum of Sosua,
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  Speaker 1: which preserves the history of Jewish refugees who found shelter
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  Speaker 1: in the Dominican Republic during the Nazi persecution. U.S. envoy
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  Speaker 1: Yehuda Kaplan called on other Latin American governments to follow
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  Speaker 1: the Dominican Republic's example, noting that antisemitism constitutes a global
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  Speaker 1: threat requiring concrete government action. Actor Mark Ruffalo is publicly
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  Speaker 1: denying accusations of antisemitism made by Paramount's guidance related to
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  Speaker 1: his criticism of a proposed media merger. Ruffalo called the
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  Speaker 1: accusation appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Stating that criticism of Israeli
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  Speaker 1: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, military technology contracts, or executives involved
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  Speaker 1: is not criticism of Jewish people. The dispute arose after
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  Speaker 1: Ruffalo shared a boycott, divestment, and sanctions, or BDS, movement
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  Speaker 1: post concerning Oracle's assistance to Israel. Paramount's guidance had expressed
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  Speaker 1: being troubled when anti-Semitic tropes are invoked in purported service
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  Speaker 1: of a business dispute. according to NBC News reporting. That's
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  Speaker 1: our report for today. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.